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Fully tested and in excellent working condition. Counterpoint SA-3000 Dual Channel.Local pick up / inspection / purchase available at Archer High Fidelity in Falls Church, VA. We are a vintage sales and service specialist covering the Washington DC metro area.All major credit cards accepted, as well as PayPal, check on clearing, and Venmo.Any other questions, please feel free to ask.
Is US$1,499 a fair price for a used Counterpoint SA-3000, or are you paying too much? Based strictly on your database of two recent USD listings, the median used price is US$912, with the 75th percentile at US$1,206; this asking price of US$1,499 clearly exceeds that threshold, making it an ambitious listing rather than a fair deal or bargain.
The SA-3000 remains well-regarded as a tube-hybrid preamp that blends the warmth of tubes with the precision of solid-state, offering excellent tonal balance and low noise. However, at US$1,499, you’d need strong justification like original-owner condition, pristine cosmetics, or included accessories like a phono stage or remote to make it worthwhile. Without those, this price feels stretched compared to the typical used market anchored at US$912.
Independent perspective — not a price guarantee. Always verify condition, accessories and provenance before purchase.
Counterpoint was a U.S. hi-fi brand founded in California in 1977, best associated with designer Michael Elliott, who joined the company in 1979 and became closely linked with its tube-era identity. The brand’s early history is tied to the rise of high-performance American audio in the late 1970s and 1980s, and its name still turns up often in discussions of classic tube gear. Counterpoint later filed for Chapter 11 in 1996, and the brand’s active era is generally described as running into the late 1990s.
Counterpoint was primarily known for preamplifiers, power amplifiers, and phono head amps, with a strong emphasis on vacuum-tube and hybrid designs. Its early products included the SA-1 tube preamp and SA-2 moving-coil head amp, and later models expanded into more elaborate preamps and amplifiers. While the company is sometimes mentioned alongside loudspeakers in historical summaries, its real reputation rests on amplification rather than speakers, turntables, DACs, headphones, or cables.
In the market, Counterpoint sits in the vintage high-end category rather than current mainstream hi-fi. It is a niche name today, valued mainly by collectors and enthusiasts who seek well-made American tube electronics from a period when the brand had a strong reputation for ambitious, hand-built sound. Used-market interest remains tied to model, condition, and whether the unit has been serviced, which is typical for older specialist audio brands.
See all Counterpoint listings on RADAR.
